LETTER: Is it any wonder Chesterfield is dying?

On the recent Bank Holiday Monday, I decided to visit Junction 28 retail park and arrived around 10.15 am. The car park was already filling. After around one hour of shopping I returned to my vehicle and noticed that the car park was overflowing.

I sat and observed a never-ending stream of vehicles entering the outlet, cars were parked on the outlet roundabout and even on the central road dividing area.

The traffic by now was stacked back onto the A38 and never ending.

I now decided to travel into Chesterfield and parked outside of the town. What a change it was , it was like a ghost town and no wonder, no free parking and half the shops closed.

As I walked back to my vehicle I noted that a vehicle had even received a fixed penalty fine on its windscreen, the vehicle having a borough council parking permit on display.

Yes, the council wants the motorist to visit the town but only to extract every penny it can from them and in any way it can, in my view.

Is it any wonder that Chesterfield is dying on its feet?.

Another point in question is the Beetwell Street bus station stop B5, which is the local residence of alcohol and drug users which I also observed with one person sleeping at 2pm that afternoon.

I have campaigned to have the area decontaminated on many occasions but I feel the council will not address as it claims to have no funds although it generate what I believe to be vast amounts of over more than £1m a year from the car parking and fines. In my view this is squandered on useless projects.

Perhaps I should have used a cycle as the council is spending vast amounts on this ‘pie in the sky’ idea with free cycle parking at the rail station and disruption to traffic while all these cycle circuits are being implemented, the A632 to Bolsover (Hospital) now being the next traffic gridlock within the scheme.

I feel it is time that councillors and those in command and control had their rear ends kicked and became answerable to the public who pay for their out-of-touch life style.

The town is bleeding to death and in my view they haven’t a clue as to what might be the problem when common sense is all that is required.

Reg Oliver

Lime Close, 
Calow